Sick Day Date

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pic is of Roxie's Birthday Card Door! Isn't it pretty? Isn't it festive? Isn't it a lovely reminder of a lovely day? It is so easy to do, and it puts a smile on your kiddo's face every morning for a week... and it costs nothing!

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - In honor of my 500th post on A Simple Life, I am having a Contest for the last Mystery Bag Party. The first SIX WOMEN who comment in the Comment Section, via e-mail or Facebook beginning at 6:30 a.m. TOMORROW, Friday, OCTOBER 1, will be eligible to climb on board the Big Gold Van for the fourth and final Mystery Bag Party!

I'll announce winners as soon as the first six people have entered the Contest. Mark it on your calendars... Friday, October 1 beginning at 6:30 a.m.

I'll be checking the time of each and every entry on Facebook, e-mail, etc. to make sure everything is fair!

October Special Guest Hints - Here are three more little hints to keep you guessing. Our Special Guest will be here TOMORROW!

4. She loves MY kids (all three), and I love her kiddos right back (all three).

5. She's a little younger than me... but not so much it is annoying.

6. She looks like she would be at home in Italy... and a light summer breeze gives her an unbelievable dark, dark tan. (And I'm a little jealous about that one. Can you tell?)

Okay. Guess away. You'll know the answer tomorrow.

Roxie's Birth Day Story - Part Five

Well, the time finally arrived to schedule a C-Section. The table we called my stomach was now measuring around 50 weeks... and growing daily. Uncomfortable doesn't seem to be an adequate word to describe the way I felt. And trying not to be fearful was very, very difficult.

The day of the scheduled C-Section, September 25, 1996, we arrived at the hospital. Everything was in place. The plan had not changed. Mike and Mom were to stay with Roxie NO MATTER WHAT, and Daddy would stay with me.

At noon, we went to the operating room to get Roxie. In a matter of a few minutes, Mike and I heard crying. Crying with gusto, actually. And then we met Roxie. Fat, angry, red cheeks, a little auburn hair... she didn't look like her esophagus wasn't attached to her stomach.

The nurse cleaned her and right before they took her away for her tests, she gave her to me one more time to kiss. The nurse leaned down and whispered in my ear, "What did you name this baby?"

"Roxie," I replied.

"Perfect," the nurse said... and then after a quick kiss and an "I love you" from Mikie, they were gone.

I was later taken to a semi-dark room. No one was there. I looked at the clock on the wall. It had been an hour since I had went into the operating room. I picked up the phone, but it wasn't connected. Very, very strange.

Of all things, a workman came in to work on the thermostat. I asked him to turn on a light and to keep the door open. I then asked him if he could find a nurse. He kindly did so.

When the nurse arrived, she asked if I needed pain meds which I refused. Although I knew the epidural was wearing off, when I take pain meds I am out for the count. I didn't want to be unconscious if they had to take Roxie to Children's. I asked her if she had seen my Dad. She said no, but she would watch for him. Again, very, very strange.
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The clock kept ticking. I had now been in the room over 30 minutes by myself. Where was Daddy? Something was wrong. The only reason for him to not be with me would be because something was not right with Roxie. About that time, I saw him walking past the door. I yelled for him, and he came and sat down beside me... his assigned post for the day. He said he had been looking for me for over 30 minutes, but no one knew where I was. He had been going into rooms (containing new mothers) for the last half hour just looking. It was a wonder he wasn't arrested!

We sat in a very comfortable silence, holding hands and waiting. He didn't know to ask about pain medication, and I didn't tell him what I was doing, but my epidural was wearing off pretty fast.

We received a couple of phone calls during the long day from my Mom and Mike giving us updates on the testing and we continued to wait.

My Aunt Connie and my mom's best friend, Mrs. Davis, came in to check on me. They knew pretty soon into the conversation I was not taking meds. If I remember correctly (and I probably don't), they really jumped Daddy about not taking care of that little issue. But again, being a man who had never given birth, he was totally oblivious.

Needless to say, the nurse and I had to come to an agreement on what I could take that would take the edge off the pain, but would allow me to stay awake enough to know what was going on with Miss Roxie. That taken care of, we waited some more.

When Mom came in several hours later, she gave us the news everything in Roxie was "connected." No surgery needed. They were going to move me to a room and then Mikie and Roxie were coming to see me. I held her again at 7:00 p.m. that night. Seven hours after she was born. And then I had the nurse bring me some really, really strong pain meds!

And that's Roxie's Birth Day Story. Again, not to compare or complain to other women who have been through so much more. It is simply her story... her beginning... our beginning as the Faulkner Five.

I wrote this in her baby book while I was in the hospital 13 years ago (on heavy, heavy pain meds), but it's still true today...

"September 25, 1996 - When Austin was born, I was amazed at how much I loved him. He was my total obsession. When Joshua was born, I was amazed I could love another child as much as my first. He was my heart. When Roxie was born, I was amazed God had blessed me yet again with this beautiful little girl. She was (and is) my heart's desire."

Blog Linkage - I found a new link in my Better Homes and Garden magazine. If you like "creative" (and I think we all do), go to www.creativethursday.typepad.com for inspiration and ideas. It looks like a great website.

Sick Day Date

Nothing can "mess up" a perfectly planned day like a child's unexpected illness. Once you've checked and there is a fever and school is out of the question, you can do one of two things... make the best of what could be a really long, whiny day or turn a really long, whiny day into something GREAT!

Here are a few ideas for a Sick Day Date...

1. After you have dropped the siblings off at their respective schools, put on your pajamas, too. Face it! You're not going anywhere.

2. Cuddle on the couch with some popcorn and a favorite movie. Enjoy!

3. When it comes time for a "bland" snack, add food coloring to vanilla pudding and let the child pudding paint before he/she eats.

4. For lunch, drive to the child's favorite fast-food restaurant and go through the drive-thru. Find a nice shady spot to park your car, crawl into the back seat and eat lunch while you read a book or two.

5. Take a nap together. Really enjoy!

6. Let the child pick his/her favorite board game and play it as many times as they want without any sibling interruption.

7. While you are cooking dinner, have your little one nearby coloring and talking.

8. Use your imagination!

Of course, I'm not talking about stomach viruses or high fever kind of illnesses. You could do these things on the last day the child stays home after having a virus for two or more days. They still aren't well enough for school, but they aren't really sick either.

It's hard to plan an eight-hour date, so when one happens to fall in your lap, ALWAYS take advantage of it!

Have a beautiful Thursday. It's the last day of September, so I'll remind you one more time to Spread the Love. It's not too late. Pick a person (family, friend, acquaintance), and take a little time today to lift them up with a kind word, a written note, etc. It takes so little effort on our part, but sometimes it makes a huge impact on another person. You never know if someone might be struggling, and words are powerful, powerful things.

Friday is an EXTREMELY busy day on A Simple Life. Our October Special Guest will be revealed! The winners of the fourth Mystery Bag Party will be announced. I'll be going over Weekend Happenings and there will be a little Randomness sprinkled in for good measure. It's going to be a good day!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda